


last stop

by ienablu



Series: Nothing Biblical [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Daredevil (2003), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 10:57:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2545079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ienablu/pseuds/ienablu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A week after the SHIELD leaks, Natasha appears in Matt's apartment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	last stop

Karen is smiling when Matt enters the office of “Murdock - Attorney at Law,” or so Matt assumes. He had heard her humming as he climbed up the flight of stairs, and her movements have been light and quick. Although she tried to hide it, she has spent most of the morning texting, the tapping of the keypad a quiet counterpoint against the less quiet click of the keyboard. The past few weeks Karen has brought up the possibility of an old college friend coming to visit, as well as a cute new barista at Jo’s Coffee Shop. Both had prompted a slight quickening of her heartbeat, similar to receiving texts.

Six steps into the office, Matt smells a lingering trace of jasmine.

It’s been a long time since he last smelt it, and judging by the news, it will be a long time until he smells it again.

“Mr. Murdock,” Karen greets. “Did you enjoy your lunch?”

Matt smiles at her. “I did, thank you. Anything happen while I was out?”

“A woman stopped by while you were at lunch. She implied that she knew you, but she didn’t leave a name or message. Just that she would try to find some way to see you later.”

Matt nods. “Thank you, Karen.”

 

*

 

Natasha is leaning against the wall at the end of the entrance hallway when Matt arrives home.

Matt isn't surprised. The cover over the combination locks into his apartment had been a fraction off from where it had been when he left this morning. “Thank you for the heads up that you were going to be breaking into my place,” he tells her.

“I know you hate it when visitors stop by unannounced,” Natasha replies. Matt is certain that she is smiling.

He makes his way past her, to his closets further inside the apartment, Natasha's footsteps matching perfectly with his. "It's been a while since you last stopped by." He shrugs off his suit jacket, hangs it on its empty hanger, reattaches its braille label. After a beat of silence, he asks, "Why now?"

“I take it you haven't seen the news."

He huffs a laugh. “Not so much, no.” 

The humor drops from her voice, as she continues, "But you've heard about it."

Matt nods. "I have." After a moment, he adds, "I thought SHIELD had a file on me." He's been waiting for the fallout.

"They did. It mysteriously vanished, a couple of years back."

He sighs in relief. "Thanks." He pulls his tie loose from its knot, reattaches its label, hangs it on his tie rack.

"And?" Natasha finally asks.

Matt unbuttons the first few buttons of his dress shirt. "And what?"

He hears the sound of her footsteps, the rustle of her clothing, before he feels the touch of her fingertips against his neck. "Funny," she says. She trails her fingers around his neck, down the sliver of exposed chain. Her hand curls into a loose fist, halfway between his heart and his crucifix. "I was expecting a man like you to have a bit more to say on what I've done."

He shakes his head. "Only he without sin can throw the first stone. After all these years, you should know I am no less guilty than you are."

"You haven't been listening to enough of the news, then." Her voice has become sharp, but it's the only giveaway. Her pulse is the steady beat it has been ever since he first met her; not even baring all the secrets in the world has been enough to quicken her heartbeat. She remains as difficult to read as she has always been.

He reaches his hand up, traces up her neck, up her cheek. Her hair grazes against his fingers, and he brushes it back behind her ear. It's down to her shoulders, longer than it had been when they first met, far shorter than it had been last time they met, and straight where it has usually been curly. It really has been quite a while since she's stopped by. He cups her cheek, his thumb tracing down to rest at the corner of her mouth. "What are you doing here, Natasha?"

"I leaked everything. All my covers have been blown. No more Natalie, no more Nadine, no more Laura..."

"No more Babette," Matt adds.

Matt feels the corner of her mouth lift up into a smile. "No more Babette. I'm wiping my slate clean, and rebuilding from the ground up." There is the slightest hesitation before Natasha continues, "It'll take a while."

It's a goodbye, then. Matt guessed as much. He would be disappointed, if he weren't still surprised and pleased that she came to see him before she left. "I'll miss you," he tells her.

"You barely even think about me," she says. "I like to come to you because you're honest, don't change your MO on me now."

"I can go weeks without thinking about you," Matt agrees. "And then some weeks I can't go a day without thinking about you. You're... you're different. And you're different every time you visit. I can't tell you how, but you are. And when you leave and return, you'll be different in another way. And I'll still feel the same way about you then that I feel about you now. But I'll miss you, as you are, right now, right here."

Natasha doesn't speak for a long minute. Her pulse remains steady, as does her hand on his chest.

"You're a good guy, Matt," she tells him, finally.

"I'm not the bad guy," he allows. "And somedays that's all that I can manage."

"But somedays that's all we need." She sighs, and leans forward, the press of her hand being replaced by the press of her body. She rests her forehead against his neck, and when she sighs again, her breath puffs against his skin.

His hands move down her shoulders, across her back, and he pulls her in closer. This is not a final goodbye, but it will be some time before she visits next. He will take what time he can, taking in the soft leather of her jacket, the slightest curl to the ends of hair, the lingering scent of jasmine, the steady beat of her heart. "What more do you need?"

She doesn't share her answer with him.

After a minute, she sways back. "I need to get going."

Matt lets his hands fall to his sides. "No interest in staying for the night?"

"You don't have any," she points out. "I need to talk to Hill about if she has anywhere she wants me to go in particular, set up contingency plans. I just wanted to stop by, briefly, before I left."

When she steps back, Matt steps forward and presses a chaste kiss to her lips. "I'll miss you," he repeats.

She takes his hand and brings it back up to her face, so he can feel her smile. "I'll see you around."


End file.
